“I knew then why Homer referred to pears as the ‘gift of the gods’ in his epic poem, The Odyssey.”  George Mateljan

How are you doing with enjoying the summer’s bounty of fruits and vegetables?

Then the LORD your God will make you most prosperous in all the work of your hands and in the fruit of your womb, the young of your livestock and the crops of your land. The LORD will again delight in you and make you prosperous, just as he delighted in your fathers.  (Deut. 30:9; NIV)

Today’s recipe features the unsung hero of pears.  Many folks wouldn’t “walk across the street” for a pear, as my husband would say.  However, many people eat unripe pears as the fruit is mostly picked unripe to prevent decay during transportation and distribution to retailers.  But a ripe pear has a fragrant aroma, buttery texture, and succulent taste.  According to one reference, the texture of ripe pears range from buttery to grainy, dry to succulent, and aromatically from mild to assertive. Unripe pears ripen at room temperature after a few days, but they lack the taste of a tree-ripened fruit.  I would also add that organically grown, ripe pears are the absolute best and literally melt in your mouth.  (Can you tell that I just ate one?) 

In the United States, pears are the third most important fruit crop next to apples and peaches.  One reference I found stated that there are over 2000 varieties of pears with Bartlett, Bosc, Anjou, Comice being some of the more common ones.

Pears are mostly enjoyed out of hand, but they can be poached (as in today’s recipe), dried, canned, and baked.

I looked at several different recipes for poached pears and then combined parts of various recipes to create today’s version.  Since there are individuals who either don’t tolerate dairy or choose not to use dairy products such as heavy cream, the sauce for this recipe uses cashews and some of the poaching liquid.  It’s rich and creamy!

Instead of using a sugar syrup for the poaching liquid, I chose to use an organic pear nectar. The brand that I used is Bionaturae.  There are other organic pear juices that are readily available as well.  The fresh raspberry sauce adds color to the dish and brings out the flavor of the pear in a more distinct way.  Enjoy some lovely poached pears.

Prayer Power
Father, bless the farmers who toil and labor to bring us a harvest of bounty.

Link of the Day
Poached Pear Melba with Cashew Cream Sauce

Blessings on you as you continue to enjoy summer’s desserts.